Is Poverty And Inequality The Father Of Crime

Global perspective -- Poverty And Inequality

Done by Tooba Ashraf.

10 A

Is poverty and inequality the father of criminality?

I chose this question, because there are many arguments about it. Before doing my research even I wasn't sure of what the answer to this question might be. So on a personal level, it was very intriguing to actually look into something like that. However that is not the main purpose of my research. We know that many of the countries in our world are facing economic downfall. And they try as much as they can, yet they have faced poverty for over three decades now. I don't remember a time when I might've heard that a very low economically developed country successfully turned the tables, and became an MEDC. Hopefully,

They think poverty affects some factor, which in turn affect crime rates. U.K. is a very interesting example, which shows signs of all different perspectives. In earlier times, 1980-1990, there was a direct correlation between the two. As unemployment increased in 1980, so did the property crime (involves theft of property) rates. However something strangely new is happening in UK right now. Despite the fact that poverty levels are reaching the skies, the crime rate has never been lower. According to researchers, the main reasons for this might be stabilised policies, and the peace created by small neighbourhoods being formed. Nonetheless, this inverse proportion remains true only for the UK. Many people believe that crime is the main reason for Africa’s underdevelopment. In South Africa, it was found out that burglary rates were highest in the richer areas, being around 35-43% higher. That might not make any sense, but upon further investigation, it was found that the poor would obviously come to the wealthy area for property crime. According to Neil Higgs, the director of TNS research survey, almost three quarters of the two thousand South Africans from metropolitan areas agree that poverty is the leading cause to criminality. Even the 80% living in poor, dirty shacks agreed. They practically admitted to doing something like

If you're in a poor country, you're unemployed, or you're deprived of your rights in your own country, then you'd feel the need to do something for yourself. A man needs to feed himself and his family, or they'll die. It's as simple as that. Sometimes, thievery is the only option left. I'm still not very sure about poverty being the father of crime. But it's true that poverty is one of the main reasons. Obviously, the governments could try to improve the economic conditions of the country. I have seen many cases with my own eyes, where they mixed up food with other harmful substances since they couldn't afford supplying the pure food. Media has raided on them, but it's pointless, because more than half the country’s businesses are doing so. People start selling illegal drugs to make some money when they lose hopes from all other jobs. Honestly, when I was younger, I would steal candy from my mom’s purse, when she didn't allow me to eat any. I'm pretty sure that all kids have done something like that once in their lifetime. This might not seem like a great example, but the truth is this is the most basic of human nature. Even as kids, the lack of candy-poverty- lead us to steal it from our mom’s purses-crime. In fact, I know teenagers who even steal money from their parents to fulfill their wants. If this is what happens to a human when he wants something, imagine what would happen in case he's dying of